APES UNIT 6 VOCABULARY

Renewable energy resources

Sources of energy that are infinite.

Potentially renewable

An energy source that can be regenerated indefinitely as long as it is not over harvested, e.g., Biomass.

Nondepletable

An energy source that cannot be used up, e.g., Solar, geothermal, wind, tidal energy.

Commercial energy sources

Energy sources that are bought and sold, such as coal, oil, and natural gas.

Subsistence energy sources

Energy sources gathered by individuals for their own immediate needs, including straw, sticks, and animal dung.

Energy conservation

Methods for finding and implementing ways to use less energy.

Energy efficiency

The ratio of the amount of energy expended in the form you want to the total amount of energy that is introduced into the system.

Energy Return on Energy Investment (EROEI)

The amount of energy we get out of an energy source for every unit of energy expended on its production.

Biofuel

A liquid fuel such as ethanol or biodiesel created from processed or refined biomass.

Carbon neutral

An activity that does not change atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Coal

A solid fuel primarily formed from the remains of trees, ferns, and other plant materials preserved 280 million to 360 million years ago.

Natural gas

A relatively clean fossil fuel containing 80 to 90% methane (CH4) and 5 to 20% ethane, propane, and butane.

Crude oil

A mixture of hydrocarbons such as oil, gasoline, kerosene, and water that exists in a liquid state underground.

Energy carrier

An energy source, such as electricity, that can move and deliver energy in a convenient usable form to end users.

Combined cycle

A feature in some natural gas-fired power plants that uses both a steam turbine to generate electricity and a separate turbine powered by exhaust gases.

Cogeneration

The use of fuel to both generate electricity and deliver heat to a building or industrial process.

Fracking

A method of oil and gas extraction that uses high-pressure fluid to force open existing cracks in rocks.

Turbine

A device that can be turned by water, steam, or wind to produce power, such as electricity.

Electrical grid

A network of interconnected transmission lines that connects electricity generation sources to end users.

Nuclear power

Electricity generated from the nuclear energy contained in nuclear fuel.

Fission

A nuclear reaction in which a neutron strikes a large atomic nucleus, splitting it and releasing energy.

Control rod

A device inserted between fuel rods in a nuclear reactor to absorb neutrons and slow or stop the fission reaction.

Radioactive decay

The process by which a radioactive isotope emits particles or rays.

Half-life

The time it takes for half of the original radioactive parent atoms to decay.

Radioactive waste

Nuclear fuel that can no longer produce enough heat for a power plant but continues to be radioactive.

Curie

A unit of measure for radiation; one curie equals 37 billion decays per second.

Bio mass

Biological material that has mass, such as wood, charcoal, or manure.

Particulates

Solid or liquid particles suspended in the air, also known as soot.

Carbon monoxide

A colorless, odorless gas formed during incomplete combustion.

Nitrogen oxide

A byproduct of combustion of any fuel that contains nitrogen.

Photovoltaic solar cells

Devices that convert sunlight directly into electricity.

Hydroelectricity

Electricity generated by the kinetic energy of moving water.

Tidal energy

Energy that comes from the movement of water driven by the gravitational pull of the moon.

Wind energy

Energy generated from the kinetic energy of moving air.

Smart grid

An efficient, self-regulating electricity distribution network that uses technology to balance electricity needs.

Cellulosic ethanol

Ethanol derived from cellulose, the cell wall material in plants, used as a potential replacement for fossil fuels.